TikTok To Set 1-Hour Daily Screen Limit For Users Under 18 Years Old
In a statement to SAYS, TikTok said this feature will also be introduced in Malaysia.
By May Vin Ang — 02 Mar 2023, 05:23 PM
TikTok has announced that it would introduce an automatic daily screen time limit of one hour on all accounts belonging to users aged under 18
If the 60-minute limit is reached, TikTok said teenagers will be prompted to enter a passcode to continue scrolling, requiring them to make an active decision if they would like to continue spending time on the app.
"These features add to TikTok's robust existing safety settings for teen accounts," said the company in a statement on Wednesday, 1 March.
In a move to encourage teenagers to be more conscious of their time and to prevent endless scrolling, TikTok said it will also be sending every teen account a weekly recap of their screen time
Also, while teenagers will be able to opt out of the new default screen time setting, the company said it will still prompt them to set a limit if they spend more than 100 minutes on TikTok a day.
"While there's no collectively-endorsed position on the right amount of screen time or even the impact of screen time more broadly, we consulted current academic research and experts from the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital in choosing this limit," it added of the 60-minute time limit.
Besides that, TikTok also rolled out more features in the app's 'Family Pairing' function to allow parents more control over their children's TikTok usage
The 'Family Pairing' function allows a parent or caregiver to link their TikTok account to their teen's and set controls.
Parents will be able to filter videos with words or hashtags they don't want to appear in their teen's feed, set a custom daily screen time limit for their teen, and mute notifications sent to their teen.
In a statement to SAYS, TikTok said these features will also be introduced in Malaysia.
